Mike Brey Notebook | 12.15

Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey spoke on Tuesday as the Irish prepare for Duke. 

On potential return for Robby Carmody: 
"I'm so encouraged, but I don't know if you've noticed, he's really lean. He's lost 20 pounds. He got heavy after the fracture of the knee cap and rightfully so. He wasn't able to workout or exercise. He's still not able to run and really burn a lot of calories, but he completely changed his diet. He looks great. He's not on crutches anymore. 

"I would think mid-January - could Robby Carmody be loose playing some 5-on-5 for us and in live-action in practice and then you evaluate if you can use him in a game maybe near the end of January." 

On the assumption that Wertz can play on Wednesday:
"Our assumption is that he would play. My goal yesterday and today was to get him in a white shirt more. We've been doing that a little bit anyway the last two weeks because we felt this was trending in the right direction. 

"It's a heck of a first game to throw a guy into if that's where we're at. I told him to be mentally ready to play tomorrow night." 

On Wertz in practice:
"The all-around guard play of a feel for the game guard, which has been so great with how we play. We've had so many of them through the years. Prentiss-like, Cormac-like - can put it on the floor, make plays off the ball screen, can make plays off the dribble. He has good size. He's 6'5. He's not super athletic, but he's a good athlete. 

"He can make shots. He can score it. He's a double-figure scorer in Division I. I don't care what league you're in, if you're scoring double-figures and getting there at a pretty efficient rate, which he did at Santa Clara. He's older and has been in some games. 

"When I look at our group and see a (Nik) Djogo and a Wertz coming off - those are two veteran guys coming off that know how to play. Zona, we'll bring him along." 

On Trey Wertz helping lessen minutes for Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan:
"Rest is overrated. Guards like Cormac and Prentiss, those guys can play a lot. Having said all that, I look at Trey as another weapon for us more than a minute shaver. He's like Prentiss and Cormac - he is a guard who has a feel for the game, skilled and as we've seen already in college, he has the ability to score."

On Juwan Durham finding consistency: 
"I had him in here yesterday. I said, don't put the weight of the world on you. I think it's the first summer that he really understood how to invest in his body and game. As you've seen, he's come back looking different, but that doesn't mean the returns happen immediately, especially with who we're playing. 

"We're playing really good people with big guys with length. He's not had maybe the advantage of a couple exhibition games, maybe a couple non-league games where he gets into a rhythm. 

"I told him just keep doing what you can do. The biggest thing we've talked to him about is no dumb fouls. The reaches, hand in the post, we need him on the court a little bit longer.

"I give him credit through a chopped up kind of game for him. He was there the last five minutes helping us and doing things. His rotation to challenge that last shot was really a big play. (Olivier) Sarr had knocked a couple of those down when he had a clean look earlier in the half." 

On playing a second half with a double-digit lead: 
"For us, Scott Martin actually said it. I think overall, that's how we've built the program, but especially this year with this team and maybe with the circumstances of COVID, we're going to be in let it rip mode all the time. 

"Scott said at halftime, 'Coach, we can't back off.' 

"We really tried to go for it in the second half. I think you have to give a lot of credit to Kentucky's athletic defense. I thought their young kids played really hard in the second half and John Calipari is going to build on that moving forward. They dug into us, so it was hard for us. 

"At the end of the game, we were trying to burn that shot clock and game clock down. Actually, the last possession, even though we only got a step-back three from Prentiss and it was an airball, there were only 11 seconds left in the game and we had a foul to give. Our ability and standard of playing without fouling, which we've done pretty well. We didn't do well against Ohio State, obviously, but you had a foul to give and now they have to take it on a side out of bounds. 

"I just think we have to keep playing and going for it. As long as we take good shots, I think that's the area of growth I've liked since Michigan State. We took too many bad shots in East Lansing and we paid for it dearly." 

On being in a better position to knock off higher-ranked teams:
"I think so because you heard my tone after Ohio State. The juniors and seniors - as much as they've come off the mat and trended back up after finishing 15th as freshmen and sophomores, we had not gotten one of these on paper where they were above us. 

"Even though Kentucky is going through their stuff, that was the first time. I told them that after the game. I told them that was the challenge after the Ohio State game. 

"Now it moves into how do you use Saturday to be a little greedy and flush being told great win. We certainly have not arrived. How do you be a little greedy? God, to beat a Kentucky and a Duke in a span of five or six days, I think, would really jump up our confidence." 

On the timeline for Trey Wertz to be able to play:
"I applaud the NCAA council for taking this issue up tomorrow. I don't know what the timing of their meeting is and probably good we play at 9pm. If they're in a heated debate and a verdict comes down at 8pm, we're still OK. 

"I know there's momentum for this rule. I think you saw the women have really embraced it. I think it's taken some time because they've looked across all sports being able to have their transfers eligible.

"I just applaud them for taking the issue up. I hope the momentum we've had the last week - I have no inside info, but the momentum I'm hearing that it's pretty good and the odds are good." 

On F Matt Zona: 
"I really like what he gave us against Ohio State in those short bursts. He knows who he is. He rebounds and sticks his nose in there. He screens for people and keeps it simple. There's a toughness and he's not afraid of the big moments. Ohio State and Kentucky, he's just battling. 

"It does give us another front line body for Juwan or Nate (Laszewski) that I think we have to continue to keep developing. I know I'm very confident in him after seeing what he did in short minutes against Ohio State and Kentucky. I know we're confident in him."

On coming off a big win against Kentucky and now face Duke:
"It's amazing. It looked crazy when we put it together, of course, when I put the non-league together, I didn't know my league dates yet. Paul Brazeau then threw us Duke, Syracuse and Virginia. How about that one? 

"It's awesome for our guys and maybe it's a little more awesome coming off some success on Saturday. We're maybe a more confident group than we were after the Ohio State game. I'm very excited to see if we can build on Saturday.

"Great opportunity and we said we wanted to play big games for these kids in the midst of a weird year with COVID. All we have left are big games. I would include Howard because of what surrounds the Howard game." 

On Duke:
"It's similar in that Kentucky had a lot of young kids and Sarr. Duke has a lot of youth, but they also have a couple veterans who have been there. The difference in the youth is their skill level and ability to shoot and score it. 

"Kentucky was still trying to find themselves on the offensive end. They certainly found themselves defensively in the second half against us when they came out and got on us. That was like Florida State bodies coming out and mauling you - I don't mean fouling, but making the court seem small. 

"A little more skill level, ability to put numbers on the board and I think they'll come out and pressure us and pick us up full court to try to wear our perimeter guys out. They have the ability to shoot it and score it probably more than Kentucky."